Early benchmarks present probably efficiency of M4 iPad Air

March 4, 2026

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Because it often occurs when new Apple merchandise are about to hit the cabinets, early Geekbench benchmark outcomes are already making the rounds. Right here’s how two outcomes credited to the M4 iPad Air turned out.

As much as 22% efficiency positive factors, relying on the way you measure

As noticed by MacRumors, two Geekbench check outcomes surfaced earlier at present purporting to be for the brand new M4 iPad Air.

Each record an iPad mannequin identifier iPad16,11 (which corresponds to the 13” Wi-Fi + Mobile mannequin), with the primary check scoring 3,438 in single-core and 12,885 in multi-core CPU checks, whereas the second check recorded scores of three,714 and 12,296, respectively.

For reference, Geekbench scores for the 13″ M3 iPad Air are 3,048 single-core and 11,667 multi-core, suggesting the brand new gadget will see positive factors between 13% and 22% in single-core, and 5% and 10% in multi-core CPU efficiency.

That stated, one fascinating side of the M4 iPad Air is the truth that Apple modified the chip’s core depend in comparison with earlier M4 chips.

The iPad Air’s M4 chip options an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, whereas the M4 chip within the iPad Professional had as much as a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.

On Geekbench, the 13” Wi-Fi + Mobile M4 iPad Professional scored 3,704 in single-core and 13,805 in multi-core CPU efficiency checks, suggesting that the brand new M4 chip of the iPad Air is between on par and seven% slower in single-core, and roughly 7% to 11% slower in multi-core efficiency.

In fact, it’s all the time price retaining in thoughts that Geekbench scores, notably for unreleased gadgets, ought to be taken with a grain of salt.

As soon as the gadgets hit the cabinets on March 11, extra benchmark outcomes will floor, alongside critiques and hands-on testing that ought to provide a clearer image of how the brand new mannequin compares with current ones in real-world use.

Nonetheless, in the event you’d prefer to take a better have a look at the 2 checks that popped up earlier at present, you’ll discover them right here and right here.